Leo was born with two ‘giant’ holes in his heart. He went under the knife in March after the problem had gone undetected for the first year of his life.

When Leo was born, he was found to have a heart murmur, which was thought to have gone by the time he had left hospital.

He continued to undergo regular check-ups for his brain, but it wasn’t until a final consultation that the holes in the heart were found.

He was taken to the Freeman where the open heart surgery was carried out.

But Lauren said: “Things are great. Leo is doing really well and he has been discharged from the Freeman.”

The family of Leo, whose dad is Daniel Makin, 25, were so grateful for the help they received, they held a charity event to raise money for the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital, as well as Scott House, where parents of children who have undergone life-saving surgery can stay while they recover.

Leo joins a fantastic list of entries for this year’s competition which is being held in association with Vantec Europe Ltd.

To help us in our quest, we have also been backed by some fantastic category sponsors.

They are Calsonic, Gentoo, Martinos, TWR and UK Asbestos and we thank them all for their fantastic backing.

From now until the deadline of Monday, November 2, we will be looking for the very best in our communities.

The grand finale, where we reveal our eventual winners, will be held at the Stadium of Light.

That will be held on Thursday, November 19, and we are hoping to honour some truly deserving people. To nominate your own favourite, fill in the nomination form on this page or visit http://www.jpne-events.co.uk/